"That, I wouldn't know."

Hokuto expressed that he wasn't a parasite living in the Elysian Realm elites' guts.

"Besides, they might still be watching the stream, just not commenting, or maybe they did and you missed it."

"Eh, the latter is impossible~ I would never miss anyone's comments~"

Elysia had absolute confidence in herself.

"I really envy how you can always be so confident in yourself," Hokuto sighed sincerely.

"Because~~ I'm just such a cute and amazing girl~~" Elysia said without a hint of shyness.

"..."

Hokuto fell silent for a moment, marveling at how this was just so typical of Elysia, then steered the topic away.

"Anyway, regardless of the details, I think you can continue now."

"My, how impatient~ I just rested for a bit, and you can't wait to continue working this fragile me?"

"..."

"Alright then, let me guide everyone through the final stretch of the story."

Elysia picked up the device and resumed the plot.

The timeline moved to a few days after Otto charged at the Tree.

The perspective shifted to Theresa, who was mulling over Otto's matters.

"The things that happened in these past few days feel like a series of hazy illusions, lacking any sense of reality."

"The signature on old documents, the old headquarters' study, the paintings on the walls... Every time I see them, an indescribable emotion wells up. It's neither sorrow nor regret."

"It's like there's this inexplicable thread in my heart, occasionally tugging at random moments."

"I don't even know why, but I keep having this illusion: that person might appear somewhere else again, post another video, stir up a big piece of news as casually as ever..."

"Just like that day when he grandly announced his resignation to the world."

Theresa's voice carried a dazed, somewhat lost tone.

Players listening felt a slow-growing melancholy within.

This segment didn't feel like a stab to the heart but evoked a much more complex emotion...

When Otto wasn't dead, everyone wished for his death. But now that Otto was truly dead, completely and utterly, they somehow felt... empty?

Elysia paused briefly before continuing to click through the dialogue.

Following that, Theresa learned from Elizabeth McSmit about Otto's final task entrusted to her:

[To inform Kiana, who possesses the power of space, about the idea of Imaginary Reconstruction, and help her find a way to deal with everything that follows.]

In other words, [the guide to defeating the False God] was deliberately left behind by Otto for Kiana and the others.

Seeing this, the players couldn't help but sigh.

[Everything meticulously arranged. Truly impressive.]

Apart from Elizabeth McSmit's part, the rest shifted into Valkyrie daily life scenes from Theresa's perspective.

For instance, Kiana and Bronya's rare playful banter, Li Sushang expressing her wish to travel the vast world, and Rita revealing that she had long known Durandal was a [Kiana Kaslana]...

There was noise, there was laughter, and plenty of surprising moments.

Yet in all the conversations—between Theresa and the Valkyries, or among the Valkyries themselves—Otto was inevitably mentioned.

Everyone had their own thoughts about the departed Otto.

Rita said: Otto influenced every single one of them.

Bronya said: Otto walked to a shore beyond good and evil. She once thought she understood him well, but now she realized she knew nothing about him.

Fu Hua said: On the path of resisting the Honkai, Otto left behind many valuable and even unique things for them.

...

Each person's view of Otto was different.

This Overseer truly left his rights and wrongs for future generations to debate.

Such a complex character was vividly fleshed out through this post-war summary, stirring many players' emotions further.

In fact, quite a few of them had once vowed: "If Otto doesn't die, I won't quit the game."

Now, Otto was truly, irreversibly dead.

Of course, quitting wasn't really an option. After all, they still cared about Kiana and the others.

But... an unavoidable emptiness lingered.

Hokuto naturally noticed the increasingly somber atmosphere in the stream.

He didn't rush to speak. Instead, he waited until Elysia finished the final segment where Mei met with the Honkai God.

"'Otto'-san, why did you have to use such a terrifying CG at the end?"

Elysia complained, clearly a bit spooked by the haunting image of the Honkai God.

Hokuto blinked, smoothly following up.

"That ties into the upcoming Elysian Realm storyline."

Feeling hollow? No problem, Elysia is here!

Up next, the Elysian Realm's story is guaranteed to [lift everyone's spirits], leaving no time for gloom.

"Elysian Realm?"

Elysia recalled today's streaming schedule and feigned ignorance: "Speaking of which, now that Otto's arc has reached its conclusion, it's time to update the Elysian Realm's storyline, right?"

"'Otto'-san, when are you planning to release the new Elysian Realm content? I think everyone is looking forward to it."

Elysian Realm?

Sure enough, the players who were just drowning in melancholy perked up instantly.

The influence of this realm was no small matter.

Say what you will, but the addition of the Pink Elf♪ and superstar Eden's friendship was enough to make players enjoy even a trash-tier plot.

Not to mention, the Elysian Realm's storyline was genuinely engaging.

Of course, Mei and the Elysian elites all seemed strong and reliable.

This gave the Elysian Realm's plot a refreshing lack of sudden-death crises for any major characters.

In Honkai Impact 3rd, that sense of security was truly precious.

The deeper the players had been hurt by the game's past tragedies, the more they treasured this feeling.

[Just thinking about Miss Elf's upcoming new storyline fills me with energy!]

[Same here. Can't wait to see what 'sparks' will fly between Miss Elf and Mei in the next chapters.]

Hokuto: Like, really want to touch Mei's horns?

[Are the remaining Elysian elites finally making their appearances?]

[I just want to know when the new Elysian Realm story comes out.]

"Ahem."

Hokuto cleared his throat. "Regarding the update schedule for the final part of the Elysian Realm story, we're aiming for before the Lunar New Year. Please stay tuned to the official site for specific dates."

"Of course, though the Elysian Realm is wrapping up, you don't need to worry about it ending."

He paused, then continued seriously.

"On the contrary, the Elysian Realm is a long-running narrative, poised to bring everyone even more wonderful stories."

[Lunar New Year? Suddenly realizing another year has flown by. Feels like it was summer just yesterday.]

[The person above really lost track of time. It's already snowing here.]

[The Elysian Realm arc ending doesn't mean the Elysian Realm itself ends? That's great! The longer the better. I wish it would never end!]

"Snow, huh. I wonder if it'll snow in Linjiang this year. It would be beautiful, all draped in white."

Since she would be involved in the Elysian Realm's production next, Elysia would get early access to parts of the story.

She wasn't as eager to know about the main plot as before. Instead, she found herself wondering if it would snow this year.

...She probably never imagined she'd drop offline.

Not that anyone could have predicted how the story would unfold.

"Maybe today," Hokuto echoed Elysia's thought.

"Pft~~ 'Otto'-san, you sure know how to make a girl happy."

Elysia giggled softly, then followed the stream schedule and asked another question.

"Since you're updating the Elysian Realm before the Lunar New Year, do you have any special plans for the holiday, 'Otto'-san?"

"Of course," Hokuto nodded. "We've specially prepared a 'family-friendly' mini-game for players."

Naturally, he was referring to Honkai: Beanfall.

He proceeded to explain the gameplay to the players and even played a few matches with Elysia.

The first round was a block survival match.

Hokuto hopped leisurely across the topmost layer, winning easily.

The second round was also block survival.

Elysia tried to mimic Hokuto's tactics, but Hokuto dropped to the next layer and cleared all the platforms beneath her.

As a result, just when Elysia thought victory was in her grasp, she plummeted straight from the first layer to the very bottom.

...

Time passed.

Hokuto and Elysia only played a few rounds of Beanfall—just a casual taste.

Definitely not because Elysia couldn't win a single game and didn't want to play anymore.

Later, Kiana, Mei, and others also joined the stream for a chat, sharing stories about the main story's development or their personal thoughts.

For example—

Kiana and Bianca holding back Siegfried, who wanted to discuss the plot with 'Otto'-san.

With year-end bonuses about to be distributed, calm down, Dad! Head can be broken, blood can be shed, but the year-end bonus is non-negotiable.

Or—

Bronya, the grown-up bratty duck, mocking herself for sleeping through a climactic battle.

And so on.

Through this face-to-face interaction between the MiHoYo team and the audience, the official livestream reached its conclusion.

Hokuto spoke the final words.

"Lastly, to help our world's cutest Theresa—who had her short video stolen by Grandpa—stay healthy, the Hyperion has decided to follow Overseer Otto's will and change the daily stamina into a nutrition package."

"Hmm... that's it for today's stream."

[Theresa: Are you serious?]

[So when will the world's cutest Theresa get her own short video (crying)]

[Still, at least we're finally done with bitter melon juice. Thank you, Overseer.]

[Haha, you guys are too naive. What if this 'nutrition package' also contains bitter melon juice?]

[???]

Poll: What should replace Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT)?

Hey everyone,

I've decided to put Teaching Kendo in Tokyo 1980 (TKT) on hiatus for now. In the meantime, I thought it'd be fun to run a poll to see what you'd like me to work on next. Can't wait to see what you all pick!

Options:

A brand new fanfic (picked by me)

Continue a recommended fanfic (suggested by Readers and will be voted on Again)

Two chapters a day for Uchiha Kei: Game Dev in the Shinobi World

Two chapters a day for My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!

Two chapters a day for Monster Hunter Grand Assembly

📅 Voting will be open on Patreon for one week!

Heres the link to the poll

https://www.patreon.com/posts/poll-on-what-to-137136810?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_linkpatreon.com/BestElysium